Impact-fuse.



K. WIESERa IMPACT FUSE. APPLIOATION FILED 0017.10, 1910,

1,, Q63,95, Patented May 27, 1913.

s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

K. WIESBB. IMPACT FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 10, 1910.

3 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

Patented May 27, 1913.

K. WIESER.

IMPACT FUSE,

APPLICATION FILED 0012.10, 1910.

Patented May 27, 1913.

a SHBETSSHEET a.

w gifted-5i Lin KARL VVIESER, OF EREDENEY, GERMANY, ASSIGNQR TO FRIED. KRUPP AKTIEN- GESELILSCHAFT, 0F ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

I'fiPACT-FUSE.

incense.

Specification of Letters IPatent.

Patented May 2?, 3913 b all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL Vi insnR, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of Bredeney, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Impact-Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to impact fuses having a safety device for preventing a premature ignition that is auton'iatically thrown out after the gun has been fired; the object of the invention being to provide means increasing the safety of this kind of fuse. This object is attained, in accordance with the present invention, by means of a gear, operated by springpower and set in motion automatically in firing the gun, in order to throw out the safety device.

An impact fuse in accordance with this invention is particularly suitable for use in double or combination fuses, that have a mechanical time fuse driven by clockwork. In such fuses, the clock-work of the time fuse will also be used for throwing out the safety device of the impact fuse.

Two different embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, both being intended as constituent parts of a double or combination fuse of the above mentioned kind.

The first embodiment is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, showing in 1, a longitudinal section through the combination fuse (some of the details of the mechanical time fuse are shown in full lines) Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views on the line 2--i2 of Fig. 1 with some of the parts in different positions; Fig. l is a longitudinal section corresponding to Fig. 1, with some of the parts in different positions; Fig. 5 is a section at line 55, Fig. 1, seen from. the left; Fig. 5

is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5, but in larger scale and showing the clockwork in detail. Fig. 6 is a section at line 66 of Fig. 1, with the impact-charge removed; Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section illustrating the second embodiment of this invention; Fig. 8 is a sectional View on the line S-S of Fig. '7; Fig. 9 is a view corresponding to Fig. 7, but with some of the details in differ-- ent positions; Fig. 10 is a sectional view on the line 10-40 of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line l1-l1 of Fig. 7.

I will now describe the first embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6.

The assembly and operation of a mechanical time fuse having a housing A and a hollow screw-shank a screwed into the shell body, have been substantially described in United States Patents Nos. 728,151; 85%,977 and 886,-56 l and need therefore no further explanation here. Suffice it to say, that the time fuse is provided with a clockworkT, driven by a spring B (Fig. 5), which. clockwork is held in check, during the transporting state of the fuse, by means of an arm K carried by the main-spindle K and arrested at its outer end by the stop bolt 6. This stop bolt will, influenced by the inertia in firing the projectile, move into a position I in which it will release the arm K", by which movement the clockwork is released. firing, therefore, the clockwork is automatically set in motion and with it the main spindle.

Most of the gearing of the impact fuse is inclosed in the housing B which is placed in.

the hollow chamber of the shank a. This housing forms a narrow box, open on top and resting with its narrow sides on an inner flange (4' of the hollow shank a. The bot tom of the housing B is formed in the manner indicated in Fig. 1, in order to get the space for the fulminate C. The housing B, resting with its upper side against a partition a in the housing A, is secured by means of a plate a held by screws a to the flange this plate. at the same time closing the bottom of the housing A for the mechanical time fuse. The open space formed between the outside of the wall of the housing B,

the inside of the wall of the hollow shank a, and the inclosing plate a forming the bottom, is filled with the impact charge S of the time fuse. The impact charge S con nects through passages b (Fig. 5) with the fulminate C, from which a passage U leads to the bursting charge of the projectile.

()n the raised part of the bottom of the housing B, a flat spring D is secured, which carries the firing point (Z. in the trans porting state of the fuse, this spring rests with its free bent down end on a lip e of a lever E which is pivotally carried in the housing B on two journals 6 (Fig. 6). The lever E rests with its free end on a bolt 5 screwed into the bottom of the housing B.

The lip c is situated between the pivot axis of the lever F1 and the bolt (1?, so that the spring will press the lever against the bolt 5 T To secure the lever E from prematurely raising itself from the belt 6 during transportation of the fuse, a bolt F. is provided, which is movably carried in the partition a of the housing A as well as in the bottom-plate G and top plate H of the mechanical time fuse. The bolt F is under the influence of a spring f which with one end, rests on the bottom plate G of the mechanical time fuse, and with the other end against a collar f situated above this plate on the bolt F; in such a manner thatthe spr ng under compression, has a tendency to raise the bolt from the lever E. This is prevented, in the transporting state of the fuse by. means of a sear J, which is pivotally mounted on the top plate IL'against which the upper end of the bolt. F is being pressed by the spring f. The scar J is in its turn locked in the transporting state of the fuse, to a disk K secured to the main spindle K of the clock-Work of the mechanical time fuse, the spindle turning in the direction of the arrow as (Fig. For this purpose, the sear is provided with a lip 2' which interlocks with the recess k of the disk K The scar J has a key-hole-shaped opening i which is so arranged and shaped, that the bolt F may run through the circular part of the opening 2' when the sear J stands in the position shown in Fig. 4. When the bolt F projects through the opening 2' the collar-f rests against the lower face of the top plate H of the mechanical tintie fuse. In this position, the narrow neck f of the bolt F is opposite the narrow slit of the opening 2' so that, by a continued outward rotation of the sear J, the slit of the opening i will enter over thence-k f of the bolt F and thus lock the bolt in its pushed out position 3 and 4).

In firing, the cloek-w'm'k of the mechanical time fuse is set in motion aid the disk K will begin to revolve in the direction of the arrow :0 (Fig. 2) whereby the lip 2' of the sear J is released from the recess of the disk K As soon as the sear is free it will swing outward under the action of the centrifugal force occasioned by the rotation of the projectile. Then when the circular part of the opening 2' stands right above the head of the bolt F, the-latter will be pushed through the opening of the sear J by the force of the spring f and by the continued swinging of the sear outward, occasioned by the centrifugal force, the narrow slit in the opening 5 will engage the neck f of the bolt F, thereby locking the latter. The impact fuse is now cocked.

The time between the firing of the gun and the cocking of the fuse depends on the length of the lip .i or the depth of the rccess Zr" and may easily be regulated to suit. dilferent requireim-nts by choosing these measurements accordingly.

' 'On impact, the lever E is swung forward by its inertia, whereby the spring D slips oil the lipe of the lever E and drives the firing point 1 into the fulminate C (Fig. 41-).

The second embodiment, illustrated in Figs. 7 to 11, differs from the first one, by having still another separate safety device, which, in case the firing spring D should break where it is bent, will prevent the ignition of the :tulminate C The safety arrangement for the releasing lever E is also soinewhatchanged.

As safety against ignition of the fullninate C in case the spring D should break, a slide M is provided, which, during the transporting state of the fuse, has such a position, that it covers the fuliuinate C (see Figs. 7, 8 and 11). Resting with its surface or, when in the above mentioned position, against the raised part of the bot tom of the housing 13 under the influence of two springs m Fig. ll), the slide M l is radially movable on the bottom of thehousing 13 being held in position by the head of a screw N, the shank of which runs through a slit m of the slide. The head of the screw N supports at the time the lever E lVhen the centrifugal force has brought the slide into its outermost position as represented in Fig. 9, the fulminate C will be uncovered. Simultaneously,the opening m in the slide will take such'a position that it will allow the bent down end of the spring D to run through.

In order to secure the slide M, during the transporting state of the fuse, in such a position that it covers the fulminate the following arrangement is provided.

The slide M has an arm m, which, in the transporting position of the slide, lies above and engages the lever E The arm rests against a pin P, eccentrically carried on the bottom side of a disk p which can turn in the partition a of the housing A. The disk 79 is secured to the spindle 79, which is pivoted in the plates G and H of the mechanical time fuse; and through this spindle, the disk 77 is fixedly connected to a scar J which is fastened to the 'upper end of the spindle ;0 above the top plate H During the transportation state of the fuse, the sear J is locked to the disk K which is attached to the main spindle K of the clockwork of the mechanical time fuse, in-the same manner as already has been described in the first embodiment of the invention. Through the locking of the sear J the pin P is-also held fast. This prevents consequently any outward movement of the slide M from its position shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The pin 1? is in this position, situated above with apellet; of a spring-controlledlfiring" the lever E and fulfils in consequence, the same function as the bolt F in the first. embodiment, which has for its object to secure the lever E against its being raised from the screw N.

The release of the slide M and the lever IE will follow on the turning of the disk p The pin P will then take the position indicated Fig. 9, where it lies outside of the path of the lever B, permitting an outward movement of the slide M, whereby the arm m also will get out of the path of lever E As soon after the firing, as the parts J and K have been unlocked, the sear- J swings outward actuated by the centrifugal force developed by the rotation of the projectile; at the same time turning the disk 39 by means of the spindle 72 The pin P will then be swung over to the osition indicated in Fig. 9, so that the slide M and the lever E? will be free. The slide M now moves outward, actuated by the centrifugal force to the position indicated in Fig. 9, leaving the fulminate C uncovered and placing the'opening m underneath the bent-down end of the spring I). The fuse is now cocked. On impact, the lever E is swung forward by its inertia; The spring D willthen slip off the lip ea-driving the firing pin 03 into the fulrmnate (3 As the throwing out of the 's'afet device of the impact fuse in both of the a ove described embodiments of the invention is caused by the clock-work of the mechanical time fuse, the moment of the cooking of the impact fuse is consequently determined by equal accuracy with that, by which. theme chanical time fuse is distinguished.

I claim 1 1. In an im act fuse, the combination with a pellet, o a movable part causing the ignition of the pellet on impact, asafety device for said movable'part, and a springactuated clockwork for controlling the dis engagement of the safety device, said clockwork being automatically started by the firing of the gun.

2. In an impact fuse, the combination with a pellet; of a movable parhf'causing the ignition of the pellet on impact; means for holding said movable part in inoperative position until the moment of impact; a safety device controlling said holding means, a spring actuated, c ockworkstarted by the firing of the gun, saidrloclrwork' adapted to release said safety device. Q

3. In an impact fuse, the' 'combination point for igniting said pellet';'"means for holding said firing point in inoperative po sition until the moment of impact;ja safety device controlling said holding means; a spring actuated clockwork started by the firing of the gun, said clockwork adapted to release said safety device.-

4-.. In an impact fuse, the combination with a pellet; of a'spring-controlled firing point for igniting said pellet; a swinging lever keeping thespring cocked and holding the firing point in inoperative position until the moment of impact, when said lever releases the firing spring as the lever swings, influenced by the inertia; a safety device controlling said swinging lever; a spring actuated clockwork startedby the firing of the-gun cooperating with said safety device.

In an impact fuse, the combination with a pellet; of a spring-controlled firing point for igniting said pellet; a swinging lever keeping the spring cooked and holding the firing point in inoperative position until the moment of impact, when said lever releases the firing spring as the lever swings influenced by the inertia; a safety device comprising a bolt, adapted to prevent the swinging of said lever, a ballie plate restraining said bolt, and a latch plate normally interlocking with said bai'lie plate; spring actuated clockwork, started on the rigi plate after starting of the clockwork.

6. In an impact fuse, the combination of a pellet, a firing pin for igniting said pellet,

a movable part causing the entrance of said firing of the gun, said latch plate being" ly mounted on a rotary part of the, clockwork and adapted to release said bafiie v firing of the gun, and a movable cover inter-.

posed between the pellet and the firing pin, said cover normally bein interlocked by said safety device in a position in which it prevents the entrance of the firing pin into the pellet and adapted to automatically move out of that position when the safety device is disengaged.

7 In a combined impact and mechanical time fuse, the combination with a pellet, of a movable part causing the ignition'of the pellet on impact, a safety device for said movable part, and a spring actuated clockwork for driving the mechanical time fuse and controlling the disengagement of the safety device, said clockwork-being automatically started by the firing of the gun.

The foregoing specification signed at Barmen, Germany, this 20th day of September, 1910.

KARL WIESER. 

